Falcons at Eagles stream, odds, pick and prediction

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 23, 2018: Quarterback Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes call to the offense after being tackled in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 23, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won 5-0. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

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The Eagles will start their Super Bowl defense at home against the Falcons, but they won’t have Carson Wentz for the opener.

Nick Foles faced a lot of pressure for the Eagles during the playoffs last season, and he’s going to be under the microscope again this week. Carson Wentz’s inability to recover in time to face the Falcons means Foles will be in charge of the Philadelphia offense again on Thursday night.

As we saw last season, that doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t win this game. The Falcons are Super Bowl contenders themselves, but Foles has proven he can lead his team to victory. Atlanta’s defense will need to pay special attention to make sure the Eagles don’t pound them on the ground without their MVP caliber signal caller.

The Falcons go into this game with zero questions at quarterback. Matt Ryan isn’t the most mobile passer in the league, but he can really throw the football. The Eagles defense will do everything they can to get defenders in his face to disrupt his rhythm.

Predictably, this is a high-profile, national television game. You can follow the action via all of the mediums below:

TV: NBC
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Announcers: Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth
Online streaming: NBCSports.com, Fubo TV
Eagles blog: Inside the Iggles
Falcons blog: Blogging Dirty

This is a big game, but nothing that happens in Week 1 is going to define either team’s season. Eagles fans, specifically, should withhold judgment about their team. Wentz’s return to the field will drastically change what Doug Pederson and this offense can do. Expect to see more of Jay Ajayi than normal on Thursday night.

The game should tell us more about the Falcons. They head into the opener relatively healthy. Pay close attention to their pass rush in this one. Losing Adrian Clayborn in free agency is a big issue for Atlanta.

These are two high quality teams. As such, oddsmakers don’t see a ton of difference in the matchup. Keep reading to learn about the odds for the game.